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Suspicious white-powder letters reach congressional offices; federal agents investigate

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.

10 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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Image via Roll CallHow images are chosenReport this image

Dozens of congressional offices in several states have received envelopes containing a suspicious white powder in recent weeks, and federal authorities are investigating. Recipients include Democrats and Republicans, with offices in Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Washington state and New York among those reporting letters. According to a House memo reported by Roll Call, none of the letters received by congressional offices had been determined to contain hazardous substances. The letters arrived less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, and House officials warned more may come.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Suspicious letters containing white powder have been sent to congressional offices in recent weeks.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Roll Call, The Hill
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    Just the News

  2. According to a House memo, none of the letters received by congressional offices had been determined to contain hazardous substances.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Roll Call

  3. Dozens of offices have been targeted in several states, including Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Washington state, New York and California.

    Reported byLeft3Center1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TheGrio, ABC News, The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    Just the News

  4. Federal authorities, including the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, are investigating the letters.

    Reported byLeft2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, TheGrio
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    Just the News

  5. Recipients include Democrats and Republicans, among them Senators Ted Cruz, Pete Ricketts and Ron Johnson.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Right
    The Center Square
    Far Right
    Just the News
Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Wisconsin election officials and elected officials were among those receiving suspicious mail, according to one report.

    One outletThe Center Square· Right

  2. The letters arrived less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that suspicious white-powder letters have reached multiple congressional offices in recent weeks and that federal authorities are investigating. The left and center stress the scale, the midterm timing and the continuing threat, while the right highlights recipients from both parties and Wisconsin election officials.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left headlines stress the scale of the mailings and name Democratic recipients such as Pelosi, Al Green and Adam Smith, with the Guardian adding the midterm timing.

    Over three dozen Congress members’ offices targeted with white powder envelopes
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines track the wave and its latest targets, with one warning that more letters are likely and two naming Democratic recipients such as Subramanyam, Ocasio-Cortez and Garcia.

    Security official warns of more suspicious letters to lawmakers
    Roll CallCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Right headlines single out a recipient: Just the News leads with Democrat Ocasio-Cortez, while The Center Square leads with Wisconsin election officials, and the coverage stresses letters reaching both parties.

    Wisconsin election managers, elected officials among those getting suspicious mail
    The Center SquareRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    Reports suggest

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    Reports suggestMore neutral: Name the source of the count of over 100 letters

    The count of more than 100 letters is attributed to unnamed reports rather than to a named source.

    Reports suggest there are over 100 letters circulating in the U.S.

    Used byABC News (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • scale of the mailings
  • midterm timing
  • calls for prosecution
  • intimidation of lawmakers
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • House warning of more letters
  • memo finding no hazardous substances
  • latest recipients
  • Democratic targets
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • letters reaching both parties
  • Wisconsin election officials
  • FBI and Postal Service investigation
  • Republican recipients
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    4 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 3:08 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    Roll Call, Oct 19, 11:05 AM EDT

  • Right

    23 hr 55 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 11:00 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Roll CallCenterOct 19, 11:05 AM EDT
  2. The HillCenterOct 19, 1:19 PM EDT
  3. The GuardianLeftOct 19, 3:08 PM EDT
  4. TheGrioLeftOct 19, 7:57 PM EDT
  5. ABC NewsLeftOct 19, 10:43 PM EDT
  6. The Center SquareRightOct 20, 11:00 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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